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SKILL.md

name: migrate-to-skills description: >- Convert 'Applied intelligently' Cursor rules (.cursor/rules/.mdc) and slash commands (.cursor/commands/.md) to Agent Skills format (.cursor/skills/). Use when you want to migrate rules or commands to skills, convert .mdc rules to SKILL.md format, or consolidate commands into the skills directory. disable-model-invocation: true

Migrate Rules and Slash Commands to Skills

Convert Cursor rules ("Applied intelligently") and slash commands to Agent Skills format.

CRITICAL: Preserve the exact body content. Do not modify, reformat, or "improve" it - copy verbatim.

Locations

LevelSourceDestination
Project{workspaceFolder}/**/.cursor/rules/*.mdc, {workspaceFolder}/.cursor/commands/*.md
User~/.cursor/commands/*.md

Notes:

  • Cursor rules inside the project can live in nested directories. Be thorough in your search and use glob patterns to find them.
  • Ignore anything in ~/.cursor/worktrees
  • Ignore anything in ~/.cursor/skills-cursor. This is reserved for Cursor's internal built-in skills and is managed automatically by the system.

Finding Files to Migrate

Rules: Migrate if rule has a description but NO globs and NO alwaysApply: true.

Commands: Migrate all - they're plain markdown without frontmatter.

Conversion Format

Rules: .mdc → SKILL.md

# Before: .cursor/rules/my-rule.mdc
---
description: What this rule does
globs:
alwaysApply: false
---
# Title
Body content...
# After: .cursor/skills/my-rule/SKILL.md
---
name: my-rule
description: What this rule does
---
# Title
Body content...

Changes: Add name field, remove globs/alwaysApply, keep body exactly.

Commands: .md → SKILL.md

# Before: .cursor/commands/commit.md
# Commit current work
Instructions here...
# After: .cursor/skills/commit/SKILL.md
---
name: commit
description: Commit current work with standardized message format
disable-model-invocation: true
---
# Commit current work
Instructions here...

Changes: Add frontmatter with name (from filename), description (infer from content), and disable-model-invocation: true, keep body exactly.

Note: The disable-model-invocation: true field prevents the model from automatically invoking this skill. Slash commands are designed to be explicitly triggered by the user via the / menu, not automatically suggested by the model.

Notes

  • name must be lowercase with hyphens only
  • description is critical for skill discovery
  • Optionally delete originals after verifying migration works

Migrate a Rule (.mdc → SKILL.md)

  1. Read the rule file
  2. Extract the description from the frontmatter
  3. Extract the body content (everything after the closing --- of the frontmatter)
  4. Create the skill directory: .cursor/skills/{skill-name}/ (skill name = filename without .mdc)
  5. Write SKILL.md with new frontmatter (name and description) + the EXACT original body content (preserve all whitespace, formatting, code blocks verbatim)
  6. Delete the original rule file

Migrate a Command (.md → SKILL.md)

  1. Read the command file
  2. Extract description from the first heading (remove # prefix)
  3. Create the skill directory: .cursor/skills/{skill-name}/ (skill name = filename without .md)
  4. Write SKILL.md with new frontmatter (name, description, and disable-model-invocation: true) + blank line + the EXACT original file content (preserve all whitespace, formatting, code blocks verbatim)
  5. Delete the original command file

CRITICAL: Copy the body content character-for-character. Do not reformat, fix typos, or "improve" anything.

Workflow

If you have the Task tool available: DO NOT start to read all of the files yourself. That function should be delegated to the subagents. Your job is to dispatch the subagents for each category of files and wait for the results.

  1. Create the skills directories if they don't exist (.cursor/skills/ for project, ~/.cursor/skills/ for user)
  2. Dispatch three fast general purpose subagents (NOT explore) in parallel to do the following steps for project rules (pattern: {workspaceFolder}/**/.cursor/rules/*.mdc), user commands (pattern: ~/.cursor/commands/*.md), and project commands (pattern: {workspaceFolder}/**/.cursor/commands/*.md): I. [ ] Find files to migrate in the given pattern II. [ ] For rules, check if it's an "applied intelligently" rule (has description, no globs, no alwaysApply: true). Commands are always migrated. DO NOT use the terminal to read files. Use the read tool. III. [ ] Make a list of files to migrate. If empty, done. IV. [ ] For each file, read it, then write the new skill file preserving the body content EXACTLY. DO NOT use the terminal to write these files. Use the edit tool. V. [ ] Delete the original file. DO NOT use the terminal to delete these files. Use the delete tool. VI. [ ] Return a list of all the skill files that were migrated along with the original file paths.
  3. Wait for all subagents to complete and summarize the results to the user. IMPORTANT: Make sure to let them know if they want to undo the migration, to ask you to.
  4. If the user asks you to undo the migration, do the opposite of the above steps to restore the original files.

If you don't have the Task tool available:

  1. Create the skills directories if they don't exist (.cursor/skills/ for project, ~/.cursor/skills/ for user)
  2. Find files to migrate in both project (.cursor/) and user (~/.cursor/) directories
  3. For rules, check if it's an "applied intelligently" rule (has description, no globs, no alwaysApply: true). Commands are always migrated. DO NOT use the terminal to read files. Use the read tool.
  4. Make a list of files to migrate. If empty, done.
  5. For each file, read it, then write the new skill file preserving the body content EXACTLY. DO NOT use the terminal to write these files. Use the edit tool.
  6. Delete the original file. DO NOT use the terminal to delete these files. Use the delete tool.
  7. Summarize the results to the user. IMPORTANT: Make sure to let them know if they want to undo the migration, to ask you to.
  8. If the user asks you to undo the migration, do the opposite of the above steps to restore the original files.

Overview

Free skill — migrate-to-skills. Convert 'Applied intelligently' Cursor rules (.cursor/rules/*.mdc) and slash commands (.cursor/commands/*.md) to Agent Skills format (.cursor/skills/). Use when you want to mi

What this skill does

Looking for a dependable skill? "migrate-to-skills" gives you a tested starting point instead of a blank prompt box. Convert 'Applied intelligently' Cursor rules (.cursor/rules/*.mdc) and slash commands (.cursor/commands/*.md) to Agent Skills format (.cursor/skills/). Use when you want to migrate rules or commands to skills, convert .mdc rules to SKILL.md format, or consolidate commands into the skills directory. OpenRuna cross-links it to related prompts, agents, and tools, which makes assembling a full workflow around it straightforward. Paste it straight into a chat, drop it into a system prompt, or store it as a reusable skill.

Use cases

  • Use "migrate-to-skills" when you need a repeatable skill for professional work without rewriting instructions every time.
  • Hand "migrate-to-skills" to a new teammate so their skill output matches your team's quality bar from day one.
  • Combine it with related tools and prompts in the same OpenRuna category to build an end-to-end workflow.
  • Reach for it during planning or review sessions when you want consistent, AI-assisted structure.

Example output

Running this skill produces output shaped like the source material below:

# Migrate Rules and Slash Commands to Skills

Convert Cursor rules ("Applied intelligently") and slash commands to Agent Skills format.

**CRITICAL: Preserve the exact body content. Do not modify, reformat, or "improve" it - copy verbatim.**

## Locations

| Level | Source | Destination |
|-------|--------|-------------|
| Project | `{workspaceFolder}/**/.cursor/rules/*.mdc`, `{workspaceFolder}/.cursor/commands/*.md` |
| User | `~/.cursor/commands/*.md` |

Notes:
- Cursor rules inside the project can live in nested directories. Be thorough in your search and use glob patterns to find them.
- I…

Results vary by model and temperature; treat the first response as a draft and refine it with follow-up prompts.

Tips by platform

Claude

With Claude, drop this skill into Project knowledge so every chat in the project inherits it. Ask Claude to restate the goal first, then run — it catches edge cases early.

ChatGPT

ChatGPT responds well when you paste this skill and immediately give one concrete example of your input. Use a reasoning-capable model for multi-step work.

Cursor

In Cursor, lift the key instructions from this skill into .cursorrules or a SKILL.md file, then reference it in Agent mode with @ mentions. Keep the title in a comment so teammates can find it on OpenRuna.

Frequently asked questions

What is "migrate-to-skills"?
It is a skill listed on OpenRuna — Convert 'Applied intelligently' Cursor rules (.cursor/rules/*.mdc) and slash commands (.cursor/commands/*.md) to Agent Skills format (.cursor/skills/). Use when you want to migrate rules or commands to skills, convert .mdc rules to SKILL.md format, or consolidate commands into the skills directory. You can copy and adapt it for ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, or any other AI assistant.
Is "migrate-to-skills" free to use?
Most OpenRuna resources are open or CC0-licensed. Check the license shown on this page before commercial use; premium collections are clearly marked as such.
How do I get the best results from this skill?
Replace any placeholders, add your project context, and ask the model to confirm its assumptions first. Iterate over 2–3 follow-up turns rather than expecting a perfect first response.
Does "migrate-to-skills" work with both Claude and ChatGPT?
Yes — it is model-agnostic text, so it runs on Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, and Cursor. The tips on this page cover each of those assistants specifically.
Where can I find resources related to "migrate-to-skills"?
Scroll to the Related resources section on this page, or open the matching category hub on OpenRuna to find connected prompts, tools, agents, and datasets in the same topic area.

Related resources